


That One Time Neil Became a Court Witch

by RedHeadFireBred



Series: That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [8]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Andrew Minyard Has Feelings, Andrew Minyard Loves Neil Josten, Boys Kissing, Crack Treated Seriously, Cuddling & Snuggling, Curses, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Elves, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Half-Elves, Idiots in Love, Intimacy, Kissing, Knight Kevin Day, Lebedínoye Ózero | Swan Lake References, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Neil Josten Is an Idiot, Neil Josten loves Andrew Minyard, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Not Beta Read, Oblivious Neil Josten, POV Neil Josten, Prince Aaron Minyard, Prince Andrew Minyard, Princes & Princesses, Royalty, Sassy Neil Josten, Soft Andrew Minyard, Soft Neil Josten, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Swearing, True Love, Witch Neil Josten, Witchcraft, Witches, andrew is the swan princess, he's absolutely smitten yall, hopefully that's fine, no beta we die like men, probably a bit OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:49:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29191074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHeadFireBred/pseuds/RedHeadFireBred
Summary: With the curse broken, Andrew can now take his place as the King of Palmetto. Neil's along for the ride, but going from living in a forest alone to life in a castle is jarring. Not only that but he and Andrew haven't spent much time together since everything happened, and while Neil doesn't regret his decision to move, he's wondering if it was really the right choice to make.~*~Or, Andrew is crowned king, Neil gets a job and Betsy teaches people how to properly explain their feelings through metaphors.NOTE: There are seven parts before this I recommend reading first to understand what's going on!
Relationships: Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092800
Comments: 32
Kudos: 195





	That One Time Neil Became a Court Witch

**Author's Note:**

> I have written exactly 1 part without Swandrew appearing and I already hate it here ;-; I'm just kidding I love this series too much

They should’ve talked three days ago, after Andrew finally walked away from the sacred grounds as a human and they went to eat breakfast in Neil’s cottage. They should’ve talked on the ride to Foxhole. They should’ve talked when they got to the palace and Andrew walked into the throne room, barefoot with wind-mussed hair from the journey on horseback and honestly looking so attractive Neil thought it was incredibly unfair. 

But they didn’t. So after Andrew announced the curse was lifted and that he was coming back to the palace, he was led away immediately by Aaron and servants and the sour-faced members of Aaron’s court. Nicky stuck behind to thank Neil far too much, but eventually he ran out too, and Neil was left alone in the throne room wondering what the hell had just happened. He knew Andrew hadn’t forgotten about him, but for some reason it almost felt like he was being left behind. He wasn’t part of this world, he had no idea how royals or nobles worked. He was a witch living in a cottage in the Enchanted Woods.

Maybe it would just be better if he stuck there.

Neil didn’t leave right away. He ended up running into Matt and Dan as walked back to the front doors of the palace, going out the same way he and Andrew went in. They both were excited to see him and asked why he was around, glad to hear the curse was lifted and wanted to know all about it. Neil avoided that conversation, and asked what they were up to, which led to them giving him a tour of the palace and to the courtyard where the guard was training. He was invited to join in, and decided why the hell not, and practiced his sword skills with Matt.

Matt wanted to know if he was staying. Neil really didn’t have a good answer for him, because even he didn’t know. This was about the point he started realizing he and Andrew should’ve talked earlier.

He ended up asking Matt if he could take him to Andrew’s room. The prince wasn’t inside, but Neil supposed it was better that way. His room was huge, the same size as Neil’s entire cottage with a fireplace and dining table and large bookcases and a huge bed that looked super comfortable...Neil shook his head and reminded himself he wasn’t there to look around. He walked to the desk and easily found a blank sheet of paper and some ink, writing down a quick message to Andrew that he wished him luck in becoming king. He took the knives Andrew had given him to use on their journey that felt like forever ago, unbuckled the straps to Andrew’s arm guards that he’d been wearing, put them next to the note and left them.

He left the palace with his forearms feeling strangely exposed. Luckily he didn’t run into anyone he knew as he got to the stables, saddled up his brown mare Esprit, and rode out of Foxhole. By the time he reached the Enchanted Forest it was night, but tonight he wouldn’t go to the sacred grounds. Tonight Andrew was in a completely different place. Had he found the letter yet? Would he be happy to have his arm guards returned? Did he forget anything at Neil’s cottage?

(Secretly and selfishly Neil hoped so. Maybe then he’d be forced to come back.)

Neil hadn’t been alone since that time he rode through E’Allen. It felt lonelier now, because at least when he was going to Evermore he thought there wouldn’t be a journey back. But now there was no reason to keep hiding. Now Neil could go where he wanted without fear that his father or the Moriyamas were coming after him. But with all this freedom, Neil felt like there just wasn’t anywhere for him to go.

Because he really hadn’t been lying when he told Andrew he was his world. His home. The cottage was a place to stay, with a bed and food and his garden. But it just felt so empty with Neil being the only one in it.

The next day, he woke up feeling tired and drained. There was a constant burn at the back of his throat, like he could break down and start crying at any moment, but he just _couldn’t._ And wouldn’t that be a stupid thing to cry over, anyways? He managed to throw on some pants and a shirt, decided he didn’t have an appetite and walked outside, staring at the clearing where his cottage sat. At his garden, now empty. At all the giant food he still had that he had no idea what to do with.

The sun was shining through the leaves. Some birds chirped, and some even wished Neil a good morning, but he couldn’t think of a response back. He walked to his garden, feet sinking into the wet dirt, and stood there for far too long, mind blank. He’d need some new seeds if he was going to start planting again. He should try and find some use for the crops he already had. Maybe figure out what potions he could make, take stock of what he needed.

Something nudged his calf. Neil looked down to see Screecher, the young fox that had gotten him into this whole mess. She let out a quiet whine. _Something wrong?_ She asked. _Hurt? Help?_

Neil slowly sat down in the middle of his empty garden, letting her crowd close and petting behind her ears. “Nothing’s wrong,” he tried to tell her. His voice cracked. “I’m not hurt.”

She whined again, but didn’t say anything else. So Neil sat there and pet her, wishing the pang in his heart and the burning in his throat would go away. 

He had no idea how long they sat there like that, but it was long enough that his pants got damp from the wet dirt by the time someone rode to his cottage. Neil looked up, his heart skipping a beat, to see Andrew riding in on a black horse. He had on black pants and knee high boots, a loose orange shirt that was shiny and a dark cloak on his back for traveling. He pulled his horse to a stop and Neil got to his feet as Andrew got out of the saddle, landing on the ground with a loud noise and a murderous look in his eyes.

“Did you forget something?” Neil asked, a bit of hope filling him.

“Yes,” Andrew growled, marching forward until he was right in front of Neil, his boots getting dirty. Screecher tried to say hello but he pushed her away, eyes not leaving Neil’s. “Is that it?” he asked, sounding exasperated and angry.

“Is what it?” Neil asked. He almost turned around, wondering if Andrew was referring to something behind him.

“You leave a note and start running away again?” Andrew asked.

“But…” Neil began, suddenly at a loss for words. “I didn’t know that you’d…” _Want me._ That’s what he wanted to say, but he couldn’t get the words out.

“I don’t care if you don’t want to stay in the palace,” Andrew said. He started pacing, just a few steps, but it made Neil feel like he was getting scolded. “What I _do_ care about is you lying to me.”

“Lying?” Neil asked. “When did I lie?”

“You’re so stupid!” Andrew wasn’t yelling, but his voice had gotten louder and he seemed to be losing his composure. “If you didn’t want this, then you should’ve said ‘no’!”

“But I - “

“I _promised_ myself, I swore I wouldn’t…” Andrew stopped pacing, now turning fully to face Neil with a harsh glare. “I’m not going to be like them. And I won’t let you let me be.”

All at once, Neil was sure he understood. “Andrew, that’s not why I left,” he started explaining. “I didn’t realize you wanted me to stay. That _you_ wanted this.”

“There is no ‘this’,” Andrew said lowly, stepping closer. “Not if you don’t - “

“I want to stay with you,” Neil quickly cut him off. “I want to be with you every day from now on. Don’t you think the curse wouldn’t have broken if that wasn’t true?”

“Shut up,” Andrew ordered. He reached up and put his hands on Neil’s chest, and for a moment Neil thought he was going to be pushed away, but Andrew just fisted his shirt and pulled him a step closer. “Tell me.”

“I want to stay with you,” Neil repeated. “Wherever you are, home is to me.” The seriousness faded just slightly, and Neil started to feel sheepish instead. He ducked his head just slightly to bring himself closer to Andrew. “Do you want to have me around?”

“I’ve been coming here every day for four months,” Andrew growled. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”

The feeling Neil had all morning began to fade away - not completely gone, but nearly there. He managed a smile. “Does that include kissing?”

“Yes.”

Neil wanted to ask for one, but he was nervous. “Tell me you want me there with you,” he requested.

“I hate you,” Andrew said back.

 _“Andrew.”_ Neil frowned at him and leaned his head away from the space his and Andrew’s seemed to keep gravitating towards. “I won’t let you let me be, either.”

He hesitated for just a second, but whispered, “I want you in the palace with me.”

And Neil felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of him. He slowly leaned forward until their foreheads touched. “Thank you,” he whispered back. 

Andrew nodded, knocking their heads lightly and making Neil smile. “Yes or no?” Andrew asked him.

“Yes,” Neil easily responded. “It’s always going to be ‘yes’ with you.”

“Don’t,” Andrew warned.

This time when they kissed, Andrew grabbed his hands where they were hanging limply at his sides, and raised them to his head. Neil’s fingers instinctively grabbed Andrew’s hair, holding on for dear life as Andrew took his breath away again. “Just here,” Andrew managed to get out between the kisses. Neil tried to say he understood but his voice was lost every time their mouths connected.

So, he packed up the cottage and left. It wasn’t a hard decision to make - if anything, the hardest part was saying goodbye to the wildlife around. Neil didn’t have many possessions, and what he did have he was able to enchant to take along. By the end of the day he and Andrew made it to Foxhole, and Andrew took him to a room in the palace for Neil to live in, and told a servant he wasn’t going to be interrupted for the rest of the night. And he and Neil spent the night like they used to, laying on a bed and talking until they eventually fell asleep.

That’s where Neil’s been in the upcoming days to Andrew’s coronation. The sudden move and adjusting to life in the castle was pretty overwhelming, and he wasn’t able to see Andrew as much as he’d hoped he could, but it wasn’t bad. He had his friends, learned how to get around Foxhole a bit, and didn’t have anything he had to do. But while they’d talked, and gotten to an understanding, they still hadn’t _talked_. 

Everything just seemed to keep getting in the way.

The first night Neil spent at the palace he felt stressed, but not in a terrible way. All of his friends were quick to tell him their excitement at him staying, distracting him for a while before he turned in for the night. The second day he had more time to himself, spending it exploring the room he’d been given and eventually joining Matt and Dan again in the courtyard. Then he ran into Allison and Renee, who invited him on their shopping trip in Foxhole.

Neil didn’t get the appeal of shopping. Allison spent a long time in a dress shop, trying on multiple outfits that Neil had just a tiny interest in. Renee seemed to offer a better opinion, anyways, since she seemed to actually know about fashion. After Allison had finished her shopping she took Neil around to a few shops and he appeased her by letting her buy him a few outfits he was probably never going to touch again.

Halfway through their trip, Renee ended up telling him some news. “Once Andrew is crowned king, I’m going to be resigning as court magician.”

“Oh,” Neil said, trying to think of a better response. He supposed he didn’t blame her for wanting to get the hell out of there, since if _he_ was the one sitting through those court meetings he’d want to run away after hearing Scowl-Face talk for five seconds.

Renee seemed to see what was going through his head, since she said, “It’s so me and Allison can have more time together.”

“What do you do?” Neil asked.

“Well, I usually just provide magic when needed,” she said with a shrug. “But I’m also required to be around the current ruler a lot. I wanted to resign much earlier, but when everything with Andrew happened, I knew it just wasn’t the right time.”

“But now that he’s back it’s fine?”

“Yes. He’ll have to find a replacement, but I’m sure that won’t be hard.”

Neil disagreed. Finding a magic-user willing to work for a royal family was difficult. Andrew was going to have his hands full with that one.

Later he thought he shouldn’t have gone on that trip because he just couldn’t settle down for the rest of the day. Andrew snuck away a few times to visit him but most of his evening was spent alone, wondering what the hell he was going to do from then on. See Andrew only once in a while and spend the rest of his days just wandering the kingdom? Wandering around the palace, or his room?

He ended up in the kitchens late at night and hoped none of the cooks would mind if he started stress baking. Neil wasn’t particularly good at baking, but the process required focus so he could get measurements just right and remember directions. And this is where he ended up meeting Betsy Dobson, at around two in the morning trying to frost cupcakes but only getting the frosting all over his hands instead.

Betsy had walked into the kitchens with a broom in her hands as though she was going to use that to fight off an intruder. Neil panicked for a moment, pausing while in the middle of giving up on frosting a cupcake and instead just smashing it in his fist, waiting to see what the woman was going to do. She slowly lowered her broom. “Piping bags are over there,” she said, pointing towards a cupboard.

Neil, who had just been using a butter knife to try and spread the runny frosting, dropped what was in his hands and covered so he could muffle a frustrated noise into them instead. “I’m sorry,” he said after a few seconds, looking up again.

“Anyone is welcome in the kitchens.” Betsy placed the broom at a nearby wall and introduced herself as she grabbed a wet towel, handing it over so Neil could clean his face.

“I don’t think I used enough flour,” Neil grumbled after introducing himself back. He tried to clean up the table covered in crumbs and mashed cupcakes and frosting, but the mess only seemed to get worse.

Betsy hummed as she looked over the cupcakes. “They’re sunken in the middle, see?” she pointed out, as though Neil hadn’t already seen that. “I think you undermixed the batter. Can’t do anything about that.” She turned away and came back with a large jar, and started spooning something that looked like more flour to Neil’s tired eyes into the bowl of runny frosting he still had. “Your frosting is just missing some powdered sugar. _This_ we can fix.”

So that’s how Neil ended up getting taught how to properly pipe frosting on his sad excuse of cupcakes instead of going to sleep, like he probably should have. But slowly his irritation and panic ebbed away as he worked, letting Betsy put the baking nightmares on a decorative plate they certainly didn’t deserve, and then finished cleaning the mess he’d made. He thought about just leaving after he and Betsy had finished, but for some reason he followed her back to the table and sat down, cautiously taking a bite from one of the cupcakes when she did as well.

They weren’t bad. But they weren’t good. He grimaced, wondering if that was because he didn’t prefer sweets like Andrew did or because he failed to bake them correctly. “They’re terrible,” he grumbled, putting the cupcake on the table and ignoring it.

“They could be worse,” Betsy argued. She finished the one she’d tried and then turned to face him, a gentle smile on her face that unsettled Neil more than reassured him. “Want to tell me why you’re in my kitchens baking this early in the morning?”

“Stress baking,” Neil explained. “Sorry. You thought I was an intruder or something?”

“Either that or Andrew,” Betsy replied with a shrug. “You’re not the first person to stress bake in here early in the morning.”

Neil decided he’d think more about Andrew baking later. “What were you going to do with the broom?”

“Make him go to sleep.”

“And that would’ve _worked?”_

Betsy just gave him her gentle smile and didn’t answer, leaving Neil to think of multiple scenarios where the kind-looking cook used a broom to force one of the princes out of the kitchens. It was funnier than he thought it would be, but also kind of terrifying because Andrew can be terrifying, and if this woman was fully prepared to shoo him away with a broom that either meant she was someone to be wary of or…

Neil stopped thinking. 

“Do you want to tell me what’s troubling you?” Betsy asked.

He didn’t, but he couldn’t think of a way to say that without being incredibly rude, and for once in his life Neil held his tongue. “I’m fine,” he said instead.

“People who bake this early in the morning aren’t fine.”

“Well, maybe I was doing it because I wanted to.” He winced after saying that, knowing he was pretty much confirming what she said.

But Betsy didn’t look any different after he said that. After a moment of silence Neil realized she was waiting for him to talk first. But what would he even _say?_ Start rambling about how he didn’t regret coming here, but he regretted not taking the time to talk things through with Andrew? About how he felt like he was just floating through the days without anything to do? How he didn’t mind spending time with his friends, but he wished his time wasn’t so short with who he really wanted to be with?

In the end, Neil didn’t say any of those things, but he did stay sitting at the table. The silence stretched on, begging to be filled, but neither made to break it. In his head Neil kept yelling at himself to just get up and leave, to put this whole night behind him and try to figure things out in the morning. 

Just when he was about to finally stand up, Betsy started talking. “Andrew told me a bit about you,” she said softly.

“He did?” Neil asked with a grimace.

“Yes.” Her gentle smile was back, but this time it felt more appropriate. “It seems like you both have some things to talk about.”

Neil wondered what the hell Andrew would want to talk to him about, but didn’t ask. He looked at the table so he wouldn’t have to face Betsy’s look. “I don’t…” He cut himself off and tried to think, wondering how to word this if he was actually going to start talking.

Betsy beat him to it. “Think about it like this,” she began. “What was wrong with your cupcakes?”

“They were sunken?” Neil asked.

“Right. There could be many reasons why, and one of those could be undermixing.” She reached out and picked one up, one that Neil had messily made that looked terrible compared to her’s. “But they’re already baked, so we can’t do anything to fix them. And what was wrong with your frosting?”

“Too runny…”

“But _that_ we could fix. We just needed to add some more powdered sugar.” Betsy pushed the cupcake towards him and Neil stared at it, thinking her words over. “Neither of you can do anything to fix the bake right now, because it’s already done. But you can add some powdered sugar, and fix the frosting.”

Her metaphor was long and just a tiny bit confusing, but Neil was pretty sure he got what she was saying. There wasn’t anything that he could do to erase what he’d done or try to fix what he’d already said, but what he could do was make sure things were clear from now on. He quickly got to his feet. “Thanks,” he said, running out of the kitchens.

He still didn’t know what he was going to say, or when he was going to say it. But he needed to make sure things were clear between him and Andrew the next time they had a chance to talk.

~*~

“Why do I have to do this?” Neil asked, staring at the clothes Nicky had thrown on his new bed with a tiny grimace.

“Because,” Nicky began, starting to move the clothes around - oh, he was making outfits. “I’m not trusting you to dress yourself for Andrew’s coronation.”

“I can do it,” Neil argued. 

Nicky straightened up and gave Neil a look. Not quite the unimpressed eyebrow raise of disappointment Andrew would give him, but it was close. “Neil, I love you, but look at what you’re wearing.”

Neil looked down. He was in black pants and a gray tunic that hung loosely off his frame. He’d taken off his cloak but it wasn’t far away, over the back of a lavish looking chair at a desk that had to cost the same amount as the whole cottage. He didn’t see what the problem was. “I made this shirt,” he grumbled.

“Oh,” Nicky said, clear surprise on his face. “Good job. But you’re not wearing it to the coronation.” Nicky half turned back to the bed, then stopped and looked back at Neil. “Weren’t you wearing that when you and Kevin _left for E’Allen?”_

“Yes.”

“Neil, how many days have you been wearing that shirt?”

He couldn’t remember. “That’s not important.”

“I disagree!”

Looking at the clothes Nicky was setting out so he wouldn’t have to see how appalled Nicky looked, Neil said, “Just don’t think about it and you’ll feel better.”

“I’m getting help from higher powers,” Nicky decided, turning to leave the room.

Neil watched him go. “What ‘higher powers’? Are you going to start praying?”

With a loud laugh, Nicky said, “No. You need someone else.”

Apparently the higher powers Nicky was thinking of turned out to be Andrew. He walked into Neil’s room with some black bundle under his arm, giving a pointed look at the bright green shirt Neil had in his hands. It was one of the things Nicky had set out for him that he realized he definitely didn’t want to wear, but he couldn’t figure out how to work his fingers to let go of the silk in his hands when he saw what Andrew was wearing. In the past he’d only seen him in simple black clothes, but this time the shirt he was wearing was white, and it was tight, and - 

Neil was really happy he was allowed to stare as much as he wanted.

“No,” Andrew said, kicking the door to the room closed.

“Yeah, no,” Neil agreed. He dropped the shirt on the floor and waited for Andrew to walk to him, curiously trying to figure out what he was holding. “What’s that?”

Andrew held it out. It was an all black ensemble with a dark orange cloak folded underneath. On the top was a tiny velvet pouch, and to finish it off Andrew handed him some knee high dark brown boots, polished to be shining. Neil hesitantly took it, giving Andrew a questioning look.

“Wear that,” Andrew told him.

“Okay,” Neil decided, heading for the changing screen.

The clothing didn’t feel expensive, like the silk shirt Nicky had given him did, but Neil could tell it was when he unfolded everything and got a better look at it. The pants were high waisted and the tunic’s collar went up to Neil’s jaw, fit with gold buttons that were decorative rather than functional. The orange cloak felt smooth against Neil’s fingers, but it had lots of extra fabric bunched around the neck that Neil couldn’t figure out.

“Are these your clothes?” he asked as he struggled to pull on one of the boots.

“Just put it on,” Andrew called back.

He was pretty sure they were, because the shirt was loose and the waist of the pants wouldn’t quite stay up. He grabbed the velvet pouch and walked around the changing screen as he finished putting on his belt. When Neil looked up he saw Andrew staring at him, clearly analyzing how he looked wearing everything.

“Tuck in your shirt,” Andrew ordered. Neil grumbled but did so, feeling awkward with the waist of the pants as high as it was. “The cloak is on wrong.”

Neil didn’t know how that was possible, since it was a _cloak_ , but there were some pieces of fabric hanging against his chest that probably weren’t supposed to be there. “Fix it, then.”

Andrew stepped forward to do so. He ended up pinning pieces in place around Neil’s neck, clearly in some order that mattered. Neil couldn’t focus on the clothes, though, instead staring at Andrew as he worked. When he was finished with the cloak he grabbed the velvet pouch and took out two gold chains, attaching them to the tunic in a way that apparently made sense. He nodded once when he was done. Neil was pretty sure he looked ridiculous, but at the same time, it almost didn’t matter. The clothes were comfortable, at least.

“Can I kiss you?” Neil asked.

“Yes,” Andrew replied, giving him a quick peck on the lips. It wasn’t as satisfying as Neil thought it would be, since he never seemed to be able to get enough kisses, but he also didn’t want to be annoying and ask to kiss Andrew all the time, like he really wanted to.

“Again?” he asked anyway.

As though it was such a daunting task, Andrew rolled his eyes and said, _“Yes.”_ Neil only got another peck on the lips, just a bit harder than the last one. It was probably best that they were kept to those, since the last time they started making out in Andrew’s room Nicky had tried to burst in, only to be blocked by the locked door. But Andrew’s a prince now, about to be the fucking _king_ , so he had responsibilities and shit that didn’t allow him to be by Neil’s side all the time.

“What’re you wearing to your coronation?” he asked, watching Andrew turn away and start to fold the clothes Nicky left on the bed.

“You’ll see,” Andrew replied vaguely.

“Do you get a crown?”

He stopped folding to give _that look_ . “Neil, the whole point of going to a coronation is to _get_ crowned.”

“What about a cape?” Neil asked, stepping closer. “Have you seen the crown? Where is it happening?”

“Are you just talking so that I try to shut you up?”

“I mean, that’s a bonus,” Neil admitted. He let Andrew grab his tunic and lightly push him to the bed, lading on his back on the mattress that felt soft. Too soft, too comfortable, different from what he was used to. Everything here was different from what he was used to. Andrew ended up sitting next to him and just hovering, not moving to lie down as well or...anything else.

“I am curious,” Neil continued, shifting so he could get a better look at his...friend? Lover? Partner? Whatever they were, if they were anything at all. 

“I get to see the crown tomorrow,” Andrew told him.

Neil reached one hand upwards, holding it limply until Andrew grabbed his wrist and moved it to cup the back of his neck. There were still some of his “swan-like” behavior, as Neil affectionately called it, that Andrew continued to do. They discovered he liked it when Neil ran his fingers through his hair, much softer than the feathers ever were. Twice now Andrew has come to Neil’s room at night and just climbed into his lap before suddenly realizing what he was doing and leaving altogether. But Neil didn’t mind it and he knew better than to point it out.

“What if it’s ugly?” he asked, running his fingers through Andrew’s hair.

“Then it’s ugly,” Andrew replied. “It’s a crown.”

“Yeah, but it’s _yours.”_

“I don’t care what it looks like.”

With a short hum, Neil used the hand at the back of Andrew’s head to tug him down a bit, just a little closer. Andrew let himself be moved, leaning on an elbow so that Neil no longer stretched to comb his fingers through blond hair. “Did Aaron get a crown?”

Andrew’s face scrunched up just a tiny bit, like he’d eaten something sour but was doing his best to hide his reaction. “Don’t talk about my brother when we’re in bed together.”

Neil laughed. “I’m just wondering. Don’t you think it’s unfair that he saw his chance to no longer have to run a kingdom by marrying a Queen and becoming a trophy husband?”

“Prince Consort,” Andrew corrected.

“Whatever.”

“I’m not answering that.” For a few seconds they laid side by side in silence. Andrew’s eyes fell closed as Neil continued to run his fingers through his hair, but he slowly blinked them open again and asked, “Why are you nervous?”

Neil paused, then moved his hand away, laying it on his stomach instead. He thought back to the conversation he and Betsy had and wondered if this was the time to start talking. But what would he say, and how would he say it? Neil knew Andrew was a prince, one that was going to be crowned king very soon, but he hadn’t known how many obligations or responsibilities Andrew had. Especially since he’d been missing for the past four months and nobody was going to change the date of the coronation, _for some reason._

But it was fine. Neil would be fine. He’d just have to get used to the new normal.

“I’m…” He trailed off, glancing at Andrew, who was giving him a warning look. “Adjusting,” he finished. “I never thought I’d live in a palace.”

“Neither did I,” Andrew said quietly. Neil had almost forgotten Andrew wasn’t raised here, and at one point had probably gone through the same thing he was. Only unlike Neil, who got a nice room and didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything if he didn’t want to, Andrew had to learn how to be royalty. That had to be way worse. “If you want to go back - “

“I already told you,” Neil quickly interrupted, “I’m staying. Home for me is wherever you are.” He paused again, then reached out a hand, running his thumb lightly over Andrew’s cheekbone. “It’s always going to be a ‘yes’ with you.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Then don’t ask.”

“You…” Andrew cut himself off, then quickly sat up. Neil was almost worried when he caught the look of frustration, but it melted away after a moment. 

He sat up as well. “I’ll answer as many times as you need me to,” he promised instead. 

“I know,” Andrew replied, tension in his shoulders lifting just a bit. 

Clearly, there were still some things they needed to discuss. If Abby was around she’d probably tell Neil to just start talking and get it over with because healthy communication was best in this situation. If he had more courage he would, but Neil already knew the bare minimum of Andrew’s past abuse, and knew from his own experiences pushing for answers was the wrong choice. Andrew would tell him if he wanted to. If he never did that was okay. Neil just had to figure out where the lines were, and to not cross them. So far the best way to do that was by letting Andrew come to him, asking for what he wanted and answering Andrew if he wanted something in return.

But at the same time, something wasn’t quite complete with them both. They’d broken the curse, avoided any conversation that should’ve followed, and ran straight into the fire that was Andrew’s coronation planning. And Neil was fine with that, but already he felt so overwhelmed, and he didn’t want them to get lost in miscommunication. He remembered what he and Betsy spoke about again and tried to think of a way to get how he was feeling across even though it felt wrong to try and unload his problems on someone else. But he cared about Andrew and knew Andrew had to care about him, so he opened his mouth to start talking, but before he could there came a knock on his door. Andrew looked at him while Neil tried to think, eventually inviting whoever was knocking to come in.

A servant opened the door and gave a short bow. It should probably be embarrassing how quickly they learned that if Andrew wasn’t doing something for the planning, he was likely to be found in Neil’s room. “Kevin Day has returned, Your Highness,” she said. “And Archbishop Walker is awaiting you in the throne room.”

Andrew nodded. “Tell the Archbishop I’ll be there soon,” he ordered. With another bow the servant left, closing the door behind her. Andrew turned to Neil. “I have to go.”

“Yeah.”

He raised a hand, cupping Neil’s cheek and lightly touching the bumpy and rough skin there, the scars mostly healed with Abby looking them over. For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something else, but that passed and Andrew got to his feet, making his way to the door. “Take a bath,” he called over his shoulder. “You smell.”

“Thank you, ‘Drew,” Neil called back sarcastically, enjoying the way Andrew’s hand completely missed the doorknob as he went to shut the door, slamming it much harder than necessary. He snickered to himself and got up from the bed, deciding he’d put away Andrew’s clothes for his coronation the next day.

He frowned while looking around the room. The only clothes still here other than the ones Nicky had brought in were the ones in the wardrobe Allison had bought him that Neil had yet to touch. And he knew it was stocked because he’d explored the first day he’d stayed in the palace, deciding he wasn’t going to wear what was in there. Too expensive, some too flashy.

Fuck. When had Andrew taken his clothes?

~*~

When Neil decided to go see Kevin, he thought this was the point he should’ve realized how messed up he was feeling, because he’d _gone looking for Kevin._ And not to bother him but instead as _company._ Not that he hadn’t forgotten how entertaining it was to bother Kevin, but still.

 _“How was Trojian?”_ Neil asked in Elvish as he entered Kevin’s room. _“You spent quite a lot of time there.”_

Kevin shot him a glare over his shoulder before going back to unpacking his belongings from his trip. _“Why are you dressed up?”_

Neil scowled. _“Andrew stole my clothes. I think.”_ He pushed off the wall he was leaning against and walked further into the room until he was right next to Kevin. “Now I have this. I need something else that I can work in.”

“When did he steal your clothes?”

“When I changed.” Neil rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the shirts Kevin had just folded. It would probably work as a replacement to the clothes he was wearing. He’d need some pants, though. “Duh.”

Kevin snatched back his shirt and threw it towards his bed. “You’re not taking my things.”

“I need something to work out in.”

He was ignored. Kevin went to his wardrobe and threw him something else. Just some brown pants and a tan shirt that would definitely be too big, but Neil would take what he could get. “Go change, then meet me in the courtyard,” Kevin instructed.

Neil took that to mean they would do some practice, which he wasn’t going to complain about. He wanted to get a clear head for a while. He left Kevin’s room and changed into what he’d been given, folding up the outfit he was supposed to wear to the coronation tomorrow and leaving them on his bed. He finished by grabbing his shortsword and headed off to the courtyards, where Kevin was waiting for him.

Kevin made him do some warmups before showing him any more forms. While they worked Neil thought that he still preferred a bow and arrow to a sword, but he could admit he was starting to enjoy getting into the motions. And if he was actually going to start to learn how to use his magic properly - even if he wanted to stay a witch - he wanted to hold onto the shortsword Wymack had gifted him. So he pushed through his distaste for the clunky movements and continued to learn.

Nobody else was in the courtyard as they worked except for knights doing patrols, so he and Kevin were left alone while they worked. Eventually Neil demanded a break and they sat down in the dirt, resting for a while. Neil’s eyes caught onto Kevin’s left hand, the one Riko had apparently broken just before Kevin left the Ravens for good. He hadn’t noticed while they were working, but Kevin had been using that one as his dominant the entire time.

“Does it hurt?” Neil asked, nodding towards said hand.

Kevin raised it and stared as though he was trying to figure out the answer. “Yes,” he eventually settled on. “But not as much as before.”

“Why train with it, then?”

“Because I don’t want Riko to control my life,” Kevin said quietly. “I don’t want him to have the final say in what I can do. All my life he did that, so I’m taking that control back.”

“He’s dead now,” Neil pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean the damage he did doesn’t last.”

Neil couldn’t argue with that. Just the stains in the kingdom itself still stuck, but he also supposed he had a few things to thank Riko for. Meeting everyone for one, but that was pretty much it. Everything else he caused was awful. “I’m sorry he hurt you,” Neil said quietly and awkwardly. He didn’t think he was very good at offering reassurance.

“He hurt all of us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t heal.” Kevin shrugged. “It just takes time and help. I found mine with my father and people here in the palace.”

Neil nodded in response to what Kevin said. “I feel out of place,” he ended up admitting, looking up to stare at the sky. “Ever since I chose to stay here I feel like I’m missing something. Missing a purpose.”

“What did you have before?”

“My whole life I’ve focused so much on just surviving. So now that I don’t have to do that, everything is just..” He trailed off.

“Different,” Kevin finished for him. “Not a bad different, but strange.”

Neil looked the knight’s way. “Yeah.”

“I feel that way too.” Kevin used his sword to make marks in the dirt as he talked. “I have the guard to worry about. It’s my job. Have you chosen something for yourself?”

“No.”

“Then find something. It’ll help.” Kevin turned to give Neil a tiny smile. “You’re welcome to join the guard.”

The offer was nice, but Neil wasn’t sure if he’d take it. It just didn’t feel completely right, and yet if he didn’t choose something he knew he’d go insane. “I’ll think about it,” he decided.

He glanced towards the edge of the courtyard, where someone was leaning against the wall. There was a tiny bit of smoke around them from the pipe they were using to smoke, and after a second Neil realized it was Andrew standing there. He was dressed the most casually he’d seen him since they’d come to the castle, in all black like he used to wear. Neil mumbled an excuse to Kevin and wandered away, putting away his shortsword and wiping sweat off his brow.

Andrew held the pipe loosely between his fingers when Neil reached him, a blank look on his face, giving nothing away. But he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to be, so Neil stood still right in front of him, waiting to see what he wanted. The prince took two more drags from the pipe before he turned and started to walk away, into the castle. Neil followed him through the hallways until they reached a spiral staircase, eventually walking out a doorway to a tiny balcony at the top of one of the palace’s towers.

Balcony was a generous word. It was more of a small sill of stone, mostly just a railing that Andrew slowly sat on, moving until his legs were dangling over the edge. Neil cautiously followed, copying his position. When Andrew still didn’t make a move to talk Neil decided to study the scenery, looking at the way the sky started to turn from sky blue to yellow and pink as the sun just started its descent towards the horizon.

“Neil,” Andrew finally prompted. Neil tensed and turned his head to look at Andrew, who was blowing more smoke around them and carefully keeping his eyes trained on the view. “Talk.”

Very slowly, Neil nodded. “I don’t know how to feel about this,” he began. “Everything’s changing and it’s not a _bad_ change, just a _big_ change. We hardly spend time together anymore, and it’s just a bit...much.”

He couldn’t look at Andrew. Neil stared at his knees instead. “Do you regret it?” Andrew asked.

“No,” Neil quickly said. “And that’s the problem, I guess. I don’t regret this, but I’m just a little lost. I don’t have anything to do, and you’re always busy. I just feel out of place.” He paused. “And I’m wondering if _you_ regret it. Me coming here, that is.”

He waited, holding his breath. Talking about his insecurities was difficult to do and yet not at the same time. Probably because it was Andrew, but still. This stuff had been eating him up inside for days, and now that they were finally taking the time to acknowledge something was off between them, Neil suddenly felt worried that this would be it. This would be the thing that drove them apart for good. Andrew would say that he did, in fact, regret bringing Neil back here, and he’d have to leave his friends and new home to go back to the cottage.

 _“That_ is what you’re worried about?”

Neil frowned, finally looking up from his knees. Andrew sharply turned to glare at him. “Yeah? What else would I be worried about?”

Andrew let out a very short and quiet frustrated noise. “All this time I thought you were regretting coming here but just wouldn’t tell me. Instead you’re just being stupid again.”

“It’s not stupid,” Neil huffed.

“It is because I’ve already told you I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.” He put down his pipe and leaned forward, gently but firmly gripping Neil’s chin and forcing them to look at each other. “We aren’t going to be together all the time. So what? We’ll make time.”

Neil blinked. He was pretty sure this was Andrew admitting he was planning a future for them together, and while that made him happy - _so_ happy - it was also just a bit scary. Because he was going to be living in the castle all the time, and he still wasn’t sure about what he was going to do. Kevin offered the position in the royal guard, but was that what Neil really wanted? What about finding something in the city to do, like help out Wymack? Or maybe the kitchens?

“Stop thinking,” Andrew ordered, the thumb from the hand not gripping Neil’s chin rubbing the crease between his eyebrows as though that would make Neil listen. “We both know that’s not your forte.”

“I’m serious,” Neil got out.

“Then I’ll find you a job,” Andrew promised. He let go, hands moving to his sides to grip the stone he was sitting on. “Or you’ll find yourself one. You don’t need to be constantly working, you know.”

And he did, Neil really did, but going from running and working his whole life to taking a breather for a few days was difficult. And he was still adjusting to how everything worked here. But what Andrew said _did_ help, just a little bit. “You swear?” Neil asked.

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

Some of the uneasiness went away. For the first time since he’d come to the castle he felt like he could genuinely relax. He stared at Andrew until the prince looked away, then slowly reached one hand out towards Andrew’s, palm up in invitation. Andrew took it after a few seconds, linking their fingers together and taking Neil’s breath away, like he always seemed to do. “Andrew,” Neil said, unable to stop staring. “I’m glad I met you.”

He was pretty sure there was a tiny flush to Andrew’s cheeks, but he wasn’t in the right position to see it, especially when Andrew ducked his head just slightly. “You’re close to two hundred.”

Hearing that number just made Neil smile. He squeezed Andrew’s hand and looked at the start of the sunset. “It’s okay if we’re not together all the time,” Neil whispered, mostly to himself, “because that doesn’t mean we’re not together.”

“Finally understand?” Andrew asked. Neil watched him move closer, until their thighs were pressed together and their clasped hands were in Neil’s lap. Andrew tilted his head closer until they were just a couple of inches apart, and said quietly, “Stop fighting yourself over every little thing. Learn to lean on others for a change. Next time you start thinking that kind of shit, just talk to me.”

“Okay,” Neil easily said. 

They stared into each other's eyes for a time. Neil almost felt like he was drowning in Andrew’s gaze, admiring the gold and earthy brown tones in his eyes coupled with light green. He looked from Andrew’s nose to his mouth to his freckles and back again, admiring every piece he was given with everything he had. “I want to kiss you. Yes or no?” Andrew finally whispered.

“Yes,” Neil replied. He closed the gap and sighed into the press of their mouths, gentle and yet firm and perfect. “Always ‘yes’ when it’s with you,” he continued when they pulled back, his free hand raised to tangle itself in Andrew’s hair.

And for once Andrew didn’t argue. He just closed his eyes and leaned into Neil’s touch and sighed quietly into the peacefulness they created between themselves. After a moment he pulled back and lightly shoved Neil’s chest as he said, “Move.” Neil wasn’t sure what he wanted, but after they shuffled around Andrew ended up in his lap, back to chest. Neil didn’t know where to put his hands or what to do.

Andrew grabbed Neil’s arms and wrapped them loosely around him. “You get this for ten minutes,” he muttered, relaxing more as the seconds went on. “Then you’re the little spoon.”

Neil smiled at the back of his head and agreed, and they watched the sunset until Andrew decided time was up.

~*~

Neil adjusted the cloak he was wearing. He was standing next to Allison in the throne room of the Palace of Palmetto, waiting for the coronation to officially begin. There were people everywhere, making him feel closed in and a bit claustrophobic, but Allison and Renee were there too, checking in on him. It didn’t erase the instinct to get away, but the support from his friends helped him stay in place. Following the coronation would be a huge feast in the courtyards, fitting as many citizens of Foxhole as they could, and the celebration would last for a long time.

“It could be days,” Nicky had said.

“It probably won’t be,” Renee whispered afterwards.

But if it was a single day or _days,_ Neil had already decided it was too long.

The coronation would begin at noon, in which Andrew would be crowned and then address his people for the first time. Following that, the celebrations would begin and last for the rest of the day. Neil was wearing the clothes Andrew had given him, having received help that morning when Andrew snuck away from his own preparations to apparently “make sure Neil didn’t look like a disaster”. But Andrew also snuck in a quick makeout session before he left, leaving Neil alone in his room short of breath and hating that plans exist.

“Stop tugging on it,” Allison scolded, swatting Neil’s hands away from the collar of the cloak.

“It feels weird,” he whispered back.

“It’s supposed to.”

Neil grumbled but stopped messing with the cloak. He decided he’d let Andrew have this for today, but he’d get his clothes back in the end. 

Everyone in the throne room had gathered in seats on either side, creating a long aisle that led to the platform the throne was sat on. Renee’s adoptive mother, Archbishop Walker, was standing on said platform with a few other people, holding items on expensive looking pillows. She would be the one to crown Andrew king. Neil couldn’t see what the crown looked like from where he was seated, but he really wanted to.

“How much longer?” he hissed to Renee and Allison. Not for the first time.

“Patience,” Renee told him.

“I’m with Neil,” Allison huffed. “How long does it take to get everyone ready for this?”

“Patience,” Renee repeated, more fondly this time.

They ended up waiting at least fifteen more minutes for everything to start. A servant entered the throne room and announced Andrew’s arrival, which prompted a small choir to start singing. The song was beautiful but Neil didn’t focus on it, instead too busy admiring how Andrew looked. He was dressed in all white with orange and black trim, dark knee high boots and a few pieces of jewelry. But what really stuck out was the cape he was wearing, the same color of the orange trim on his clothes with white decals, and it was long enough that it had a train a couple of feet long.

He looked incredible. Every bit the king he was about to become.

Neil had been so absorbed in staring at him that he missed when the choir stopped singing and the first few things Archbishop Walker said. Eventually he blinked out of his stupor to find that they’d started the oath. Andrew had told him about it: he’d have to swear to, essentially, not be an awful ruler( _“What, to not suddenly start destroying the kingdom just because you can?” “To serve the people, Neil.”_ ). What the Archbishop said was much more poetic than that, reading from an old looking book to Andrew, who was kneeling before the platform before her.

“Will you solemnly promise to swear and govern the people of the Palmetto Kingdom according to the respective laws and customs?” she asked.

“I solemnly promise to do so,” Andrew replied with a nod.

“Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?”

“I will.”

Neil tuned out the rest of the oath, smiling to himself as he watched what happened. He just felt so proud of Andrew and how far he’d come. To go through everything he did and finally reach this point. He was also feeling an evil sort of satisfaction because now that Andrew was about to be crowned king _he_ was going to be the one in charge of Luther’s trial of treason, which was going to be so much fun. Not for Luther, but for Neil.

The choir started singing again, and Andrew got to his feet. Behind the Archbishop was some kind of altar that he walked to, stopping before it with his back still turned to the audience. The people on the platform with the decorative pillows walked forward, presenting to him different items as Archbishop Walker continued her speech. Neil recognized a sword, some kind of chain, some jewels and a sceptre that he placed on the altar in front of him. After that the Archbishop walked forward and handed over a ring Andrew put on his left hand.

After that, Andrew was led to the throne. He was handed the scepter and a jeweled orb he’d left on the altar that he held in his hands, and finally his crown was revealed. Neil had seen a few in his life: Ichirou’s crown was gold and covered in jewels, with spikes like everything else in the kingdom that arched over black velvet. He’d also seen some artwork of Queen Katelyn that Aaron had, which showed her crown to be a disk of silver and diamonds, leaf-like arches giving it a softer look. Andrew’s crown was gold and lined with black jewels with evenly spaced semi circles along the top. 

It suited him. 

After she placed the crown on his head, Archbishop Walker stepped back and turned to address the audience. “I crown thee, Andrew Minyard, as King of Palmetto. All hail the King!”

Everyone chanted the phrase back. Neil clapped along with his friends as Andrew was given some time to sit in the throne, looking incredible. The more Neil stared at him the more he became aware that seeing Andrew sit in the throne might be a problem in the future. Not for anyone else, but for him specifically.

Eventually he got up, putting the orb and sceptre on the altar again and walking out of the throne room. Most of the people inside followed to where he was headed: a large balcony overlooking the rest of the palace, where lots of citizens had gathered. Neil stuck behind with Allison and Renee, finally feeling like he could breathe easily again in the nearly empty room. “Glad that’s over,” he said quietly.

“Oh, it’s not nearly over,” Allison replied, patting his shoulder with a large grin and starting to walk towards the doors. 

Renee paused next to where Neil was standing still, looking at the open doors. “What is it?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Do you think he’s doing okay?”

“I think he’ll be alright,” she reassured. “He’s been preparing for this for a while, now.”

Neil didn’t doubt that after everything he’s seen and heard. “He’ll be a good king,” he said.

“Of course he will be,” Renee said, starting to walk after Allison. Neil took the first steps to follow. “He used to be an orphan living on the streets. Now he’s addressing his people.”

It seemed poetic, even though it really shouldn’t be. But Neil understood what Renee was saying, which only added to how proud he felt. 

They ended up joining everyone gathering in the courtyard for the feast. Neil sat at a long table with his friends around him and a perfect view of the table where Andrew was sitting with his brother and cousin and a few other people that had to be important. They ate more than enough food to last a week and talked for the rest of the afternoon until Neil felt he’d gotten more than enough social interaction to make up for all those years he’d been alone in the Enchanted Forest.

Later in the evening, he was standing away from the main crowd with his friends, holding a cup Matt had given him that he could smell was full of mead. He wasn’t drinking it but would’ve felt more awkward without something in his hands. Matt and Dan were telling him about one of the adventures they’d gone on in the kingdom he tried to pay attention to, but instead he kept glancing at Andrew who kept glancing back at him from where he was still sitting at the table.

“So, are you staying, Neil?” Matt asked, bringing his attention back.

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“You’re not going back to the forest?” Dan had a large smile on her face, but she’d seemed happy the entire day, so Neil was pretty sure his news wasn’t that special. “What’re you going to do now?”

“Besides the obvious,” Allison stage whispered, causing the group to laugh.

Neil wasn’t sure if she was asking about him finding a job or implying about what was going on with Andrew. He decided to choose one option and run with it. “I don’t know. Kevin told me to join the guard. Or I could open a shop in Foxhole or something. Sell charms and potions.”

Dan’s face lit up when he mentioned the guard. “You _should_ join! You’re very skilled.”

“Plus, then we could hang out all the time,” Matt added, patting Neil’s shoulder. “Dan, you’d let him join my squad, right?”

“Not if he joins mine first.”

Neil smiled to himself, holding his cup closer to his chest. He still didn’t know how to feel about being around so many people, but with his found family with him, he felt much more calm. More at peace. Not like he could ignore everyone around, but like he could just move past that, and focus on those that mattered to him.

It got even better when Andrew walked up to him. He’d changed since last Neil looked at him, now wearing black pants, a white undershirt and expensive looking orange tunic with the royal crest. He’d even taken off his arm guards and crown, and looked completely disinterested as he walked up to everyone, holding a bag under one arm. “Your Majesty,” Neil jokingly greeted.

“Andrew?” Matt asked, looking up and down a few times. “Huh.”

“Aw, have you snuck away to join us common folk?” Allison asked.

“I’m Aaron,” Andrew said, voice monotone.

Neil finally looked to where the royal table was, seeing someone sitting where Andrew was not long ago. Or, _Aaron_ sitting where Andrew was not long ago, wearing what Andrew had been wearing, arm guards and crown and all.

_They didn’t…_

He looked back at Andrew and gave him a grin. Andrew had his smug barely there smile on his face, hidden in the shadows now that the sun had nearly set. He took a few steps closer until he was right next to Neil and whispered, “I’d come up with an excuse to drag you away, but.” He grabbed Neil’s hand and started to lead him away. “I’m the king.”

Neil laughed loudly when he heard that, managing to find a place to put down his cup as he followed Andrew through the halls of the palace. Inside was empty, not even a servant walked by, so they were uninterrupted as they walked up a spiral staircase, eventually coming to a door that was the entrance to the top of one of the towers. Andrew found a spot to sit at, dangling his legs over the side of the thick stone. Neil followed, and once settled he tugged Andrew’s hand closer, studying the ring he’d gotten. It was a simple gold band with a bit of texture to it, almost looking like a mini crown.

“How did you convince Aaron to do this?” Neil asked as he looked up, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

“He owes me,” Andrew replied. “I went to Evermore and got cursed for four months.”

“Couldn’t have been all bad.”

“The only company I had was the biggest moron in the world.”

Neil couldn’t argue with that. He gave Andrew’s hand a squeeze, staring at the sun as it set. Distantly he could hear the cheers of the festival still going on in the courtyard, but being here with Andrew was his own little festival. It was easy to bask in their silence and watch the sky get darker. Neil wanted to stay like this for the rest of the night.

Andrew took his hand back and passed over the bag he’d taken with. Neil gave him a questioning look but opened it, taking out what was inside. It was two armguards, not quite the same as Andrew’s, but very close. He ran his fingers over the scales, the color a blue so dark they looked black from a distance. “Andrew, when did you have time to make these?” he asked.

“Court meetings are boring,” Andrew replied with a shrug.

Neil quickly found the little part that would rest over his wrist joint and pushed it back, grinning at the sight of the thin blade that extended from the concealed sheath. When he pulled them on he found they fit better than Andrew’s, and were just as comfortable. “How do they look?” he asked.

“They’ll do,” Andrew decided. 

There wasn’t much else to say. Neil rested his arms on his thighs and looked at the sunset again. “So, what’s next for the King of Palmetto?”

“I need to make a new court,” Andrew said. “And I need to find a new court magician since Renee is resigning.”

“Good luck with that,” Neil said genuinely. Magic-users that wanted to serve royals were hard to come by.

“Yes, where will I find a magic-user I can tolerate?” Andrew asked.

“I don’t know, but I feel bad for whoever they are.”

Andrew let out a long, irritated sigh. “I can’t tell if you’re being deliberately stupid or not.”

Neil looked towards him with a frown. “Huh?”

“This is just you being stupid, then,” Andrew huffed. “Neil, I’m asking you to be my court magician.”

 _“Oh.”_ Neil paused and thought. Well, he wasn’t exactly doing anything else, was he? This is exactly what he was looking for - some sort of purpose while he was here. Doing some work would be good for him. “I guess. I mean, what do I have to do?”

“Attend all my meetings, come with me on missions, provide magic when I need it.” Andrew shrugged. “Be at all my meals to make sure nobody tries to kill me. Actually, you should probably start living in my room to _really_ minimize that possibility.”

“I’m pretty sure you just made those last two up.”

“Maybe.”

Neil smiled. He felt _happy_ , more than he had when he and Andrew finally talked everything out. “Andrew, this means I’m going to be with you all day, every day.”

Andrew’s blank face didn’t change as he said, “Oh no. The horror. I should’ve seen this before I made the offer. Is there still time to take it back?”

Neil was pretty sure he could’ve fallen off the roof if Andrew didn’t grab his arm firmly as he laughed. This was just about the opposite of the conversation they’d had just last night, when they’d both accepted they probably weren’t going to be together all the time and realized that was okay. But this was better than okay. “I have a few conditions,” he decided. “I want a garden. A _private_ garden that only I’m allowed in. And I want to be a court witch, not a court magician.”

“Done,” Andrew promised.

“And I want a kiss.”

“You always want a kiss,” Andrew grumbled, but he leaned over to give one.

Neil grinned when they pulled away. _“And_ I want my old clothes back.”

Ah yes, _that_ look was back. “No.”

Neil decided he’d try to negotiate again later. “So, when do I start the job?”

“Whatever answer gets you into my room the fastest.”

“And the romance never dies,” Neil said, rolling his eyes. “Oh, another condition: I get to call you ‘’Drew’ in private.”

“Absolutely not. Go die.”

“You like it, don’t lie!”

~*~

Neil woke up two days later to a pillow hitting him in the face. At the time he’d been dozing, half awake and half asleep as he thought he heard Andrew calling his name, and in response to the hit he sat up, looking around for whoever smacked him. He only saw Andrew at the side of the bed, throwing one of his extra decorative pillows behind him as though that would make him any less suspicious.

“Food,” he said, turning towards his dining table. He was already dressed for the day and everything, wearing perfectly tailored black pants and expensive white tunic. His knee high boots made a satisfying clicking noise as he walked across the stone floor.

Neil would’ve taken the offer if he ate breakfast, but Andrew was the one with an appetite in the morning, not him. So instead he just fell back against the mattress and stared at the way Andrew crossed his legs while looking over some important document or another. Probably important, anyway.

“Did a servant bring that?” Neil asked.

“Bee did,” Andrew reassured him.

“Oh.” Neil settled down more. “What did she say?”

“That she’s happy for us.”

Neil hummed and grabbed one of the decorative pillows, hugging it to his chest. “Why do you have so many pillows?”

Andrew didn’t answer that. He stared at Neil over the top of the document he was reading. “Are you getting up?”

“Your bed’s too comfortable.”

“Your first court meeting is today.”

It was. Neil was just a little excited to be going with, only because Andrew was still in the process of finding replacements for everyone on the previous court and he had been given permission to say whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He couldn’t wait to not-so passive aggressively tell Scowl-Face and his many accomplices to fuck off, now that Aaron wasn’t the one ‘valuing everyone’s opinions’ anymore. Nope, now the king gave him kisses if he could come up with a particularly witty insult.

He got up and walked to the changing screen. On a chair behind it Andrew had set out an outfit for him, this time with brown pants and a dark, forest green tunic, once again with a high collar. They’d have matching boots, but there was one important thing that was missing. Neil peeked his head around the corner of the screen and made sure Andrew saw his pout. “I don’t get a robe like Renee’s?”

“No,” Andrew confirmed.

Neil grumbled and got changed into the outfit, tucking in the shirt even though he hated it because if he didn’t Andrew would just make him. Or do it himself. That was an idea. Neil rounded the corner of the screen and deliberately untucked the shirt.

Andrew stared at him. “Don’t be a brat.”

“Fix it if you hate it,” Neil teased, walking closer.

He didn’t. Andrew got to his feet and walked to his desk, where a box was. He opened it and took out a thin band, colored in gold and orange wound together. He held it out to Neil, who took it, unsure of what to do. “This is for my court witch,” he said.

“Oh, thanks,” Neil said, turning it over. “What is it?”

“It’s like a crown, idiot,” Andrew huffed. He grabbed it back and put it on Neil’s head, adjusting how it looked until he was satisfied. “If you got a robe you’d just wear it wrong, and I just got you to stop looking like a disaster.”

Neil smiled genuinely. “Thank you,” he said.

Andrew gently pushed his face away. “No, I know what you’re doing.”

“I’m just standing here!”

“You’re being a brat. We can’t be late this time.”

Yes, because last time they took an extra few minutes to make out before going to one of Andrew’s court meetings, Nicky and Allison had ganged up to tease them about it. Andrew had easily threatened to throw them in the dungeons. But now Neil was actually part of the court, so he’d have to be responsible. Or, as responsible as he could be when he had permission from the king to use his magic to steal someone’s voice if they got too annoying.

And he’d get rewarded for it, too.

“Then let’s go, Your Majesty,” Neil said, making sure his voice was dripping with sarcasm as he took Andrew’s hand. They walked toward the doors, pausing so Andrew could shrug on a silk cloak and his crown. Neil then opened the doors to Andrew’s bedroom - _their_ bedroom - to let him out. “After you, ‘Drew,” he whispered as Andrew walked by.

He received a kick to the shin. Neil didn’t mind, and just followed after the king with a smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this part! I'm excited to now bring you King Andrew and Court Witch Neil, they're gonna have some great adventures. I have 2 more parts planned and I've officially decided I'm going to write at least 1 part from Andrew's point of view, so that'll be fun. Also, if you have a prompt for this series or honestly any prompt for any of our foxes, let me know in the comments or send me a message over tumblr, because I'd love to write it. I'm open to pretty much anything.
> 
> This part was easy to write and yet I dragged my feet the entire time lol. While writing I usually listen to music and when I was trying to think of things to add I ended up listening to "Lost in the Woods" from Frozen 2 which is more of a bop than I remember, plus I imagined Neil in Kristoff's place for the start of this part and it's still great. I did a lot of research on how coronation ceremonies work, and there's a lot more that happens that I just didn't include because it probably would've been boring and wouldn't have added to the story. The oath Andrew makes is modeled after the oath Queen Elizabeth made when she was crowned queen. I also spent a long ass time describing clothes these boys were wearing because @cough-ii on tumblr keeps drawing more beautiful art and has me obsessed with clothes now but I love it too much. If you want to check out more of their beautiful art check out this link:  
> https://cough-ii.tumblr.com/post/641898144370655232/you-thought-andrew-was-over-nuh-uh-uh-i-drew
> 
> Me, looking at @cough-ii’s drawing of Andrew in a swandrew outfit: 🅱️ls i can only handle so much beauty
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you thought in the comments below, I enjoy reading them all and try to reply to them all as well. I hope I got every mistake, I read over this a lot of times but tired eyes don't always catch things so I'm sorry if I did miss some stuff. Stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands, my darlings!
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr if you'd like! @jingerhead


End file.
